Author Archives

Elizabeth Pelayo is the library media specialist at St. Charles East High School in St. Charles Illinois. She currently writes book reviews for School Library Journal. She is a member of the AASL AAUP Book Selection Committee. Also, she is a member of the nominations committee for the ISLMA Abraham Lincoln Book Award.

• 5 Tips to Organize Your Summer Reading

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 07/16/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  As we close down our school libraries and think ahead to the next school year, all of us are thinking about our summer reading list. What will we bring home to read? What should we read first? How can we… Read More ›

• Adventures in 3D Printing

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 06/07/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  As the makerspace craze continues to sweep across libraries nationwide, school libraries are trying to come up with ways to engage students in meaningful makerspace work. This year the majority of my time at the close of the semester has… Read More ›

• A Prime Location for Circulation: Book Displays

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 05/09/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  When students enter through the front library doors the first thing they encounter is our study hall desk and a book display podium. This book display is strategically placed here to entice students into grabbing a new novel, but I… Read More ›

• Open Door vs. Out The Door Policy

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 04/08/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  The best administrators are those who welcome conversations and new ideas, collaborations, and support. Many school administrators accomplish this lofty goal by instituting an “open door” policy where teachers and students can feel free to come in if the door… Read More ›

• History Club-Curated Film Archive

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 03/15/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  An archive is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a place in which public records or historical materials (such as documents) are preserved.” The school library is a key space for archived materials in any school. We preserve yearbooks from years past,… Read More ›

• Personalized Book Talks with YouTube

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 02/11/2019 • ( 0 )

  

  In an educational climate where English teachers are feeling overwhelmed by the mounting expectations from state and district administration, reading for enjoyment can be one of the first things to get the curriculum ax. Research time and again has shown… Read More ›

• The Blended Learning-Ready School Librarian

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 01/07/2019 • ( 0 )

  

    Districts across the country are beginning to focus on personalized learning for students and staff. As we look for ways to meet students where they are on the educational playing field, blended learning’s flexible style is a natural fit…. Read More ›

• Books to Netflix

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 11/12/2018 • ( 2 )

  

  Students now more than ever are accessing television through streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. A large percentage of programs and movies that are popular right now started as novels that we have in our school libraries…. Read More ›

• Show Some Library Love

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 10/09/2018 • ( 0 )

  

    Advocacy is a single word, but it means so much to the library and librarian profession. As Archibald MacLeish said, “What is more important to a library than anything else–than everything else–is the fact that it exists.” Over the past… Read More ›

• Keeping It Fresh for Freshman Orientation

  By Elizabeth Pelayo on 09/11/2018 • ( 0 )

  

  At the start of the school year the library is a central location in a school that has so much to share with incoming freshman students. We have procedural information, rules and regulations, and resource knowledge to share with an… Read More ›